The present invention is directed to a shingle that is made to be wind-resistant when applied to a roof, as well as to the method of applying the shingle to a roof.
In the art of shingle manufacture, and most particularly in the development of shingles made of a base mat material, generally of organic or synthetic mat, such as fiberglass, the shingles have a coating material, such as a bituminous substance like asphalt or the like applied to both surfaces of the mat, with granules then applied to a top surface of the mat. Such shingles are often of the multi-tab type, having a plurality of tabs at the lower end of the shingle, connected to a butt portion of the shingle at the upper end of the shingle. The tabs are often, but need not be, separated by vertical slots.
In laying up such shingles on a roof, and attaching them to the roof, generally a first course of shingles is applied, with the next course then having tab portions of shingles in that next course covering butt portions of shingles in the previously applied course. This continues, with courses being applied on top of other courses, in each case, with the tab portions of a next-applied course being in overlying relation to a butt portion of a next-previously applied course. Most often, each next course is staggered leftward or rightward relative to the next-previously applied course, so that the slots of adjacent courses are not vertically aligned, although such is not, in all cases, essential.
It has been known in the art to apply adhesive between adjacent courses of shingles, so that the lower end of each tab of a shingle contacts and engages against the lower portion of the butt portion of a shingle in a next-previously applied course, with an adhesive therebetween sealing the lower end of the tab portion of a given shingle to the lower end of the butt portion of a shingle in a next-previously applied course. Often such adhesive is in the form of a band or of separate patches of adhesive, generally horizontally applied, a short distance above the upper ends of the slots of the shingles. Alternatively, or in addition, the adhesive may be applied to the undersurfaces of the lower ends of tab portions, to engage with the lower ends of butt portions of shingles in a next-previously applied course of shingles.
It is also known in the art that it is desirable to nail or otherwise fasten shingles to a roof, by driving nails through the lower ends of butt portions of shingles just above the slots in slotted shingles (or in the same location in unslotted shingles), so that the nails that fasten a given shingle to a roof will also be able to engage the upper ends of butt portions of shingles in a next-previously applied course of shingles.
Such features as are described above are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,802, issued Aug. 31, 1993.
Generally, the portion of the back or rear surface of the shingle, which coincides with (or is directly behind) the front surface of the shingle where the band of adhesive exists, is covered with a release-agent-coated tape which prevents adjacent shingles in a stack of shingles from sticking together during shipment. Generally at the time of application of shingles to a roof, the adhesive may or may not be tacky or sticky. In any event, after being subjected to reasonably high temperatures, from exposure to heat from sunlight, such adhesive, even if not originally sticky or tacky, will become so, such that shingles in overlying courses will become adhered to shingles in next-previously applied courses at the locations of the zones or bands of adhesive. Once the lower ends of tab portions of shingles in overlying courses are adhered to lower ends of butt portions of shingles in underlying courses, as a unit, the shingles will resist a tendency of wind to lift tabs and possibly tear the shingles.
In applying shingles to a roof, however, it is often the case that the fasteners that are used in applying shingles are nails that are applied from a nailing gun, often of either the electric or pneumatic types. In applying such shingles by any such automatic means, the roofers doing such applying, tend to apply the nails above the band or zone of adhesive, to avoid contacting the head of the automatic nailer or applicator gun with the adhesive, in order to avoid fouling the applicator gun with adhesive, which might be somewhat soft or sticky at the time that the shingles are being applied to a roof.
Thus, in order to avoid fouling the nailer gun, the roofers tend to apply the nails higher in the butt portion of the shingles, often much too far above the slots. The result often is that the nails that are applied at the lower ends of the butt portions of the shingles are applied too high in the lower ends of the butt portions of the shingles to engage the upper ends of butt portions of shingles in a next-underlying course of shingles, such that shingles result in being secured to a roof with only half as many nailing points per shingle, as should be used to nail shingles to a roof. This can result in a roof having a shorter life than intended and can lead to warranty claims that are not substantiated by reason of shingle manufacture, but only by reason of incorrect installation.
The present invention is directed toward a shingle and a method of applying shingles to a roof, in which guidance is provided to a roofer, as to where the nails or other fasteners should be applied, and wherein adhesive is applied to shingle butt portions in a band that is sufficiently low that the lower ends of tab portions are secured to the lower ends of butt portions of next-subjacent shingles.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a shingle having a predetermined nailing zone.
It is another object of this invention to provide a shingle having a pair of lines, between which the nailing zone or area is established.
It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above object, wherein at least the lower line in the pair is comprised of an adhesive band.
It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above object, in which the adhesive band is just above the upper ends of slots in a shingle.
It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects wherein, when shingles are laid up in courses on a roof such that only tab portions of shingles are exposed, fasteners applied in the predetermined fastener area or band will pass through upper ends of the butt portions of shingles of the next-underlying or next-subjacent course.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel method of applying shingles to a roof, to resist wind-induced separation of the shingles from one another, and possibly stripping of the same from the roof, by applying shingles of the type described in the objects above, and wherein the fastening of the shingles of the overlying course to the roof is done by applying fasteners through the fastener zones or areas of the overlying course of shingles and through the upper ends of butt portions of shingles of the next-underlying course of shingles.
Further objects of this invention reside in accomplishing the above objects, in which indicia on the shingles define generally horizontal lines of fastener application.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following brief descriptions of the drawing figures, detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims.